Vehicle-spring



(No Model.) 2 Sheets SMet 1.

G. L. ARTZ.

VEHIGLE SPRING. N0.'291,664, Patented Jan. 8; 1884.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. G.L. ARTZ.,

VEHICLE SPRING.

N ZQLGM. Patented Jan. 8. 18 84.

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GEORGE L; ARTZ, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,664, datedJanuary 8, 1884.

Application filed September 17, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE LARTZ, a citizenof the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklinand State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in VehicleSprings, of which the following is a specification.

My spring is particularly adapted for sidebar vehicles and it consistsof four separate and independent quarterelliptic springs connected to acenter bearing-plate in pairs, the upper short spring of each pairhaving its foundation upon the innerend of the lowershort spring, andsecured directly to it by the same bolts and clips which secure the pairto the bearing-plate, thereby supporting the upper short springsdirectly upon the lower ones, and obtaining the full elasticity of everypart of each spring, increasing the durability of the spring as anentirety, while the superimposed relation of each pair forms practicallya single spring, having its separate pairs ardgs ranged side by side, sothat the widthof the superimposed joined pairs is only the width of twosprings. This construction, while providing a foundation for the uppershort springs directly upon the lower springs,

I gives the advantage of allowing eachspring 1 to be adjustedindependently of each other upon the bearing-plate to suit differentwidths of bodies and of running-gear, or sidebars set differentdistances apart; and this, so far as I know and can find, is a resultdue to the arrangement of my four separate and independent quartersprings secured together in pairs. A spring of three separate andindependent parts has been used,in which a semielliptic spring has beenarranged between two short top springs, each spring being separatelybolted to a bearing-plate, side by side, so that said plate has a widthequal to that of the three springs, each short top, half 4 ellipticspring having its foundation uponthe bearing-plate and not upon thelower mainspring;

plied thereto; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same; Fig. 3, similarsection, showing a .modified arrangement of the springs upon theirconnecting-plate. Fig. 4 represents in perspective my improved spring;Fig. 5, a similar view, the springs beingarranged differently upon theirconnectiiigplate. Fig. 6 shows the plate or plates to which the innerends of the four springs are attachedjand Fig. 7 shows, in top, side,and bottom views, the manner of securing and bracing the four springs totheir connectingplate; and Fig. 8 the spring applied to a longconnecting-plate shown in Fig. 6. p

Springs consisting of an upper and a lower part have been united at themiddle of their length, with their ends divergent, the upper springsupporting the body, and the lower one connected with the side bars; butin such construction the full elasticity of either spring cannot beobtained, and moreover such spring is only adapted to fit vehicleshaving a certain width of body and distance between the side bars, andthe springs therefore were required to be of the exact length to fit thevehicle; but as carriages are now largely manufactured in parts, andafterwards put together and finished for the trade, such springs cannotbe generally used, and give much trouble to the manufacturers in beingfitted to bodies which vary greatly in width, while the running-gearside bars are generally made the same width apart. A spring of twosections connecting the side bars has been combined with a rigidtruss-bar for supporting the body, and with a plate for connecting theinner ends of said springs, so that they may be adjusted upon said plateto suit the width between the side bars, the said plates and the innerends of the springs being rigidly secured to the rigidt-russ-bar,thereby obtain,- ing only a portion of the elasticity of thesectional springs. My improved spring, of four connected parts securedand braced together in pairs at their inner ends, gives the. fullelasticity to each part, and can be readily adjusted and fitted to thegear and body parts of vehicles, thereby constituting anew article ofmanufacture furnished the trade, adapted for adjustment to suitdifferent widths of runhing-gear.

Referring more particularly to the construction of my springpit will beseen from the drawings that the upper spring is in two separate parts orsections, A A, and the lower spring is of two similar separate anddistinct parts or sections, B B, having a length greater than the uppersections. These separate and distinct sections are secured together attheir inner ends in pairsone above the other-to a plate. 0, of steel orwrought iron, each section being formed of one, two, or more leaves. Theupper leaves of the upper sections terminatein eyes attheir outer ends,and are attached by clips D to the sill-bars of the body, while thelower leaves of the lower springs terminate in eyes, and are attached byclips E and shackles F to the side bars of the runninggear. The springsthus united in pairs diverge at their outer ends in curved lines, andthey are secured together at their inner ends by bolts G, passingthroughcoincident openings in the joining leaves and in the plate 0, andfastened by a nut, H. Adjacent to such boltrfastening, a clip, I,embraces the joining leaves of the upper and lower springs and the plate0, close to their edges, and is firmly clamped thereto by a cross-bar,J, and nuts J, so as to brace the springs together upon each other, andto their connecting-plate and keep them in line, the clip for thispurpose being arranged between the fastening-bolt and the outer ends ofthe springs.'- The plate 0 is provided with perforations 0, a suitabledistance apart, into which the bolts G may be adjusted when it isdesired to adjust the springs in pairs in or out to suit the width ofthe body and the side bars, or to adjust the upper or the lowersection's independently of each other, to suit the body, or to suit theside bars. For this purpose the leaves of the springs may also beprovided with additional perforations d. I prefer to use a plate havinga width sufficient to allow the joining ends of each pair of springs tobe fastened upon the plate side by side, so that the ends pass eachother with sutficient space between them to allow one leg of thebracing-clips to pass between them, as shown in Fig. 7. The springs,however, may be at tached in pairs to each end of a narrow plate, inline with each other, as shown in Fig. 5. The plate may be cut away toform end bearing parts, and thus use a long and wide plate, withoutdiminishing the full elasticity of the springs, as shown in Fig. 6; oreach pair of springs may be secured to a separate plate, and the platesscrewed upon a screw-stem, whereby the plates may be separately adjustedupon their screw-connecting stem to set the springs in or out, and thesprings may be adjusted upon such separate plates. The plate may besecured between the inner ends of the upper and lower sp'ringsections,or on their under sides, as shown, and the plate may be slotted. Thesprings may be of any suitable form. The springs consisting of the fourdivergent separate sections, connected to a middle pl'ate in pairs,renders the spring elastic throughout its length, and transfers thestrain and weight from the plate-connection to the side-bar connections,and when the plate is placed at the bottom of the springs, the separatelapping sections press against each other and yield to the load. Thesections of the springs are adjusted upon their connectingplate byloosening the clips and removing the fastening-bolts, and the clip maybe adj usted to suit the adjustment of the bolts G. r

I claim 1. The combination of the four separate and independentquarter-elliptic springs, A B, A B, connected together in pairs, theupper spring of each pair having its foundation upon the inner end ofthe lower spring,with a bearing, 0, to which each pair is secured,substan tially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The combinatiomwith the body and side bars of a vehicle, of a springcomposed of four separate and independent quarter elliptic springsconnected together in pairs A B, A B, the upper spring of each pairhaving its foundation upon the inner end of the lower spring, thebearing-plate O, the clips I, and the bolts G, whereby each pair ofsuperimposed springs is secured to allow for separate and independentadjustment of each spring of each pair, substantially as described.

3. As a new manufacture, a vehicle-spring composed of four separate andindependent quarter-elliptic springs connected together in pairs, theupper spring of each pair having its foundation upon the inner end ofthe lower spring, a bearing-plate to which each pair of springs isseparately secured in superimposed relation side by side, and suit-ableattachments,

whereby said separate pairs of springs are connected to the body and tothe runninggear, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE L. ARTZ.

\Vitnesses'z' H. E. BRADLEY, J. W. MOONEY.

